


the stars in her eyes

by messofunfinishedthoughts



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adora (She-Ra) Needs a Hug, F/M, Glimmer Needs a Hug (She-Ra), Glimmer-centric (She-Ra), Grief/Mourning, Loss of Parent(s), Queen Glimmer (She-Ra)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:22:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27271126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/messofunfinishedthoughts/pseuds/messofunfinishedthoughts
Summary: when glimmer had seen adora come through the portal the horde created, she knew that etheria had been saved. whilst she knew everything was perfect in the false reality, she also recognised that it was just that- false. glimmer couldn't wait to get back home to bright moon, to see her mom and apologise for how she had left things. except, she had never got the chance.'angella. she stayed behind.'- adora had uttered. glimmer did not think that you could feel the breaking of your own heart. it was simply an organ. but in that moment, glimmer's heart shattered like glass. what was she supposed to do now?when adora had broke the news to glimmer, it had hit her. queen angella was gone. destiny had faced her square in the face, and yet angella had refused to believe this was adora's destiny. in faith to her queen, adora had ended up letting her down in the worse way. even worse, she had failed angella's daughter glimmer, as well as etheria. adora has never dealt with something as final as queen angella's sacrifice. she's always been the 'punch your feelings out' person. so how does she grieve?
Relationships: Adora & Angella (She-Ra), Adora & Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra), Angella & Glimmer (She-Ra), Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 9





	the stars in her eyes

**Author's Note:**

> this idea came to me when i was thinking of moments i wish we had seen in she-ra and i knew i had to write it. both glimmer and adora's arcs personally resonate with me, especially glimmer's. even though glimmer's character gets a lot of hate, i stand by the fact that you cannot forgive catra without forgiving glimmer. (and believe me, catra is one of my favourite characters)

Adora had tearfully hugged Glimmer before doing anything else. That is how the Princess of Bright Moon knew something was wrong. She stiffened.  
"Angella." Adora's voice cracked, as she stroked Glimmer's hair. Glimmer's eyes went wide with shock, and she knew what had happened. She prayed with every ounce of her being that Adora would bare different news. But what came next dealt the damaging blow. It changed everything.  
"She stayed behind. She-" Adora stammers. "She-" The blonde tries again, but she cannot bring herself to say it. Glimmer's eyes fill with tears, and she hugs Adora back. The girls sniffle.  
"She saved us." Adora finally says. The blonde pulls away to see a devastated Glimmer, before putting her hands on Glimmer's shoulders, and pressing their foreheads together. Maybe, Adora thought, just maybe, she could pass on the kiss that Angella had left on her forehead to Glimmer. The rest of the Princess Alliance gathered around them, as Shadow Weaver simply observed. Glimmer's heart ached immediately. She stood for a few moments with her friends, before stepping backwards, as if to dismiss them.  
"I-" Glimmer stutters. "I'm going to my room." Bow reaches out, but Glimmer disappears in a flurry of sparkles. Adora shakes her head at him, dissuading him from following the Princess. Except, Adora realised, Glimmer was no mere Princess anymore. In her research into Princesses, Adora had learnt that when the monarch either steps down or passes away, their eldest/only child will ascend to the throne. Angella was an immortal angel, so everybody simply believed that she would sooner or later step down as Queen, when she believed Glimmer was ready to rule. But nobody had predicted the consequences the portal had caused. Nobody had ever thought, even for a moment, that Queen Angella would be gone one day. 

Adora dismissed the rest of the Princess Alliance, and asked Juliet, the Captain of the Royal Guard, to escort Shadow Weaver back to the prison. Afterwards, on their way to Adora's chambers, Bow and Adora passed by Glimmer's room. There was no noise inside. Not a snivel, a cry, a howl of heartache. Nothing. Not even a blast of Glimmer's photokinetic blasts. Anger would be a reasonable reaction. Bow gently knocks on the door.  
"Glimmer?" He asks softly. There is no response. Not a sound. Bow and Adora exchange a look.  
"Glim?" Adora asks, but receives the same silent response. Adora tentatively opens the door, but when she enters the room, the pink-eyed Princess is nowhere to be seen. "I don't think she ever came here." Bow speaks, coming in behind Adora.  
"Then where is she? You don't think she's teleported to-"  
"The Fright Zone? No. She couldn't get there without Shadow Weaver's help." Bow replies. The two friends look around the room, when Bow spots a box sat on Glimmer's window seat. He approaches it, with Adora trailing behind.  
" _'To my darling Glimmer, love_...It's from Angella." He speaks, tearfully. As Angella had always been fond of Bow, the archer saw her as his mother. The Queen had taken him in as her own, and in turn, she had also taken in Adora.  
"She's in Queen Angella's room." Adora concludes. Bow frowns.  
"I can't even imagine how she's feeling." He says, placing the box back on the window seat. He looks around.  
"We should probably tidy around. She'll be exhausted when she comes back here." Bow suggests, picking up a blue cape. The pair work in silence, as Adora busies herself by clearing up papers off the floor and leaving them in a neat pile on the desk. She picks up a purple leotard and folds it, passing it over to Bow, who places it in a drawer. They repeat the process as they find different clothes strewn around the room.  
"She's going to be Queen." Bow breaks the silence.  
"I know." Adora replies. She takes a seat on the window seat.  
"Queen Glimmer has a nice ring to it." Bow speaks, doing what he always does- trying to see the bright side of things. Adora smiles, but her heart aches too. Glimmer wasn't supposed to be Queen for...years. Some even dared to hope that Glimmer would ascend to the throne after the defeat of the Horde.  
"But it isn't her time. It wasn't-" Adora's tears begin to fall down her cheeks, and before the embodiment of She-Ra can stop herself, she howls in despair. Maybe Catra was right. Perhaps this was all her fault after all. 

As Glimmer teleported into her mother's room, the first thing she noticed was that the sun was still setting outside. That disrespectful waste of space. It shouldn't even be out right now. Queen Angella was gone. Her mom was gone. Glimmer had already lost her father, albeit at a young age. But not once had it crossed her mind that she would lose Angella. The Queen of Bright Moon was an angel. She was immortal. Yet, here Glimmer was, standing in her mother's room, internally processing her loss, internally grieving.  
As Glimmer looks around, she notices that one of the dresser drawers is open.  
"Huh." She speaks, walking over. As she goes to close the drawer, she notices an envelope inside, with cursive writing decorating it. A singular word: _Glimmer._  
The Princess picks up the envelope, noticing afterwards that there are many underneath it. Glimmer picks up the pile, and sits on her mother's bed. Angella's room is of a simpler design than Glimmer's. There is a king-sized bed on the left of the door, with a circular window across from the door. The dresser is next to the bed, with no other decoration other than a perfume and a picture frame. In the picture frame is a photograph of Queen Angella, with her husband King Micah. On King Micah's shoulders is a small toddler. She has tan skin, akin to King Micah, and pink and purple bobbed hair. She dons a wide purple dress and a cheeky grin. It is Princess Glimmer, aged three.  
As Glimmer sits on the bed, she regards the picture, and begins to cry again. She almost grabs the picture frame and throws it. She's angry. Of all the people of Etheria, why did it have to be her mother who would sacrifice herself? Glimmer vowed she'd kill Hordak and Catra the next time she saw them. The thought was outside of her normal level of aggressiveness, but she didn't care. The people of Bright Moon needed their Queen, a Queen who would lead them with sensibility and rationalism, a Queen who loved each and every one of her subjects, but was not afraid to question those who she doubted, like she had done when Adora had first arrived in Bright Moon.  
Glimmer placed the pile of envelopes next to her, and gently picked up the top one. It held the scent of Queen Angella's perfume. Glimmer held back a small cry, and gently opened the envelope. She pulled out a piece of pink paper, a letter, addressed to her. It read:  
_To my darling Glimmer,  
If you are reading this, it means that I did not return from the portal. It means that Etheria is safe. It means you are now the Queen of Bright Moon. I am so sorry that I have had to leave you, my precious girl, but please understand that I did what I had to do because I knew that you would be alright. Yourself and Adora inspired me to be brave. I chose the path that destiny has assigned to me, and now, Glimmer, so must you. I know that you will be the Queen who brings the Rebellion to victory and frees Etheria once and for all. Because Glimmer, that was never my destiny.  
You are so much like your father, Glimmer. You are headstrong and brave, but that is what makes me love you even more. I want you to understand that destiny does not define you, my darling. Your destiny is yours to choose. I know that you will be wondering if my sacrifice was my destiny, or whether I think that it was my destiny, but it was not. My destiny, Glimmer, was you.  
Now that you are the Queen of Bright Moon, the power of the Moonstone belongs to you. It is no longer balanced between us, which therefore means your powers will greatly increase. When you return from the portal, you will find a box on your bed. Inside it, is a tiara I had crafted for you. I hope it will be the tiara you wear as Queen. Additionally, in the drawer that you found this letter, are other letters for you. They are accounts of times that I have faced as Queen, times we have argued, memories from when you were younger, and some advice on how to be Queen. I know that it does not feel like it right now, Glimmer, but I know that you have always been ready to lead. On the day before Adora came to us, you asked me why I made you a commander. The reason I made you a commander was not because you are my daughter, it was because I believe in your ability to lead. Now, Glimmer, it is time for you to step up and lead the Rebellion as its Queen.  
I am running out of time to write this, but I want to write one last thing. I know that you are feeling alone right now, but understand that you will never be. I will always be with you Glimmer, as will Bow and Adora, as well as the rest of the Princess Alliance. Your Aunt Castaspella will undoubtedly assist you with your duties, and be there for you to turn to any time that you need her.  
I am so proud of you, Glimmer. I have always been proud of you, from the day you were born.  
All of my love,  
Mom_  
Glimmer cries out in pain, dropping the letter, allowing the tears to finally fall from her face. She curls into a ball, pulling the sheet from the bed around her. Like the letters, it too holds the scent of Angella's perfume. Now that Glimmer had read the letter, everything had been put into perspective. Queen Angella, her mother, was really gone. Glimmer wanted her friends, right now. She wanted Adora and Bow, but she also wanted to be alone. Most of all, she wanted her mother...but she would never have her. She couldn't stay in this room.  
Dropping the sheet, Glimmer teleported out of the room, into a field outside the castle. Before she could stop herself, she started blasting trees, the ground, anything in sight. She screamed, continuing to blast. Her thoughts swirled around her head, so many of them overlapping. Catra and Hordak had taken Queen Angella from her. They'd taken her from the Rebellion. She, Glimmer, was now the unofficial Queen of Bright Moon. She would have to lead the Rebellion alone. Both of her parents were gone, and it was all because of the Horde. More blasts, over and over, as Glimmer continued to scream, and cry and howl in pain, a pain that seemed to consume her completely. She could feel herself getting weaker, but she didn't care. All she cared about right now was her mother, and she was gone. The thought repeated in Glimmer's head, until she blasted a flower garden. The stocky princess stopped short.  
_'She only blew up my flower garden twice.'_  
In the false reality, she and Queen Angella had been closer than ever, and her father was still alive. It was bliss. The anger suddenly disappeared from Glimmer, as she lowered her arms. She couldn't destroy this garden.  


"Adora..." Bow murmurs. Adora looks at him, her eyes burning with tears. She hiccups, wiping the tears from her eyes.  
"Queen Angella...she...it wasn't her time." Adora says. "She was immortal, Bow! She...she..." But Adora cannot find the words.  
"She saved us, Adora." Bow comforts, but he too is aching. Angella had taken him under her wing, literally, she had guided him, helped him, loved him like a son.  
"But it was my destiny to save us!" Adora shouts. "It was my sword that began all of this! If I hadn't have gotten captured, the Horde wouldn't have been able to power their portal! And if they hadn't powered the portal..." Adora trails off. Queen Angella would still be here, if not for that damned portal. Catra had made so many valid points to her when she had been corrupted. Adora had stood up for herself against the feline girl, she had finally, after so long, attacked Catra as Adora, not She-Ra. She had put their friendship to rest. But now? Angella was put to rest too. Her whole life, Adora had grown up with Shadow Weaver as her mother figure. Why couldn't it have been Shadow Weaver, Adora wondered. Whilst it was true that Adora had healed Shadow Weaver after her arrival in Bright Moon, it did not mean the blonde had forgiven her. Adora wasn't sure at what point she had started thinking of Angella as her mother, but she had. Now that Angella was gone, it was like a piece of Adora's heart had gone with her.  
"I'm going to my room." Adora stands, leaving Bow alone. He knows better than to follow.  


Adora does not go to her room. She finds a field behind the castle, and pulls out her sword. That damned sword.  
"For the honour of Grayskull!" Adora cries out. Within seconds, she transforms into She-Ra. The blonde stares at her sword, before growling, and screaming out. Adora runs forward, swinging her sword at anything and everything she can, destroying every tree, shredding the grass. She screams out as her sword destroys everything it can. But this isn't right. She knows that. So the Princess of Power stops swinging her sword. She de-transforms, and crumples to the ground, the mud staining her grey leggings. She punches the ground, making her knuckles bleed, but she doesn't care. Angella was like a mother to her, and now, she was gone. She-Ra was supposed to save everyone. Shadow Weaver was still here. Yet Angella wasn't. That seemed like a cruel twist of fate to Adora, almost as if digging the knife in the wound a little more. The horrific mother figure Adora had been raised by for seventeen years got to live and survive the portal, whereas the kind, respectful, and brave mother figure that Adora had got to know in her two years at Bright Moon was now doomed to a fate of being trapped between dimensions. Angella had been so brave, in the end, and that is what made Adora hurt more. She, Adora, was supposed to have been the brave one. Angella was supposed to rule over Bright Moon, look after her kingdom and her daughter, help the Rebellion free Etheria from the evil clutches of the Horde once and for all.  
Adora's eyes stung by now, but the hot tears still fell, and her anger was still boiling too. Her hands were freezing, as night time had now descended upon Bright Moon, but the stinging of her fists distracted her from the coldness of her body. It was such a calm peaceful night, where the only sound Adora could hear was her own sobs of grief and guilt and pain. If she was feeling like this, she thought, she could only imagine what Glimmer was feeling right now. Sure, Angella was like a mother to Adora, but she was Glimmer's actual mother. Her loss left a great deal of pain within Etheria, and within the halls of Bright Moon, but it also left many questions, most of which would go unanswered. Glimmer had lost both of her parents, both of them had been lost because of the Horde. As far as Adora recalled, King Micah had fell in a battle about two or three years after Glimmer was born. Glimmer barely remembered him.  
Adora? Well, she never had parents. Superior officers, perhaps, but not her biological parents. The only memory she vaguely recalled of where she came from was a shooting star zooming across a sky full of stars from the view of a circular window. Adora could ache for Angella's loss all she wanted, but the blonde realised that now, she needed to find Glimmer. The guilt and grief of losing Angella would never leave the both of them, for various reasons, but Angella had asked Adora to take care of Glimmer. She had asked them to take care of each other. Right now, she was failing that wish, and it was about time she did something about it.  


Glimmer walked back to her room. She did not have the energy or strength to teleport. She would recharge in the morning, she told herself. But only then did it hit her what recharging meant. Without Angella, Glimmer would naturally, unintentionally absorb the Moonstone's full power. Glimmer let out another sob, because she knew what that meant. Yes, she would be much stronger, but at what cost? If she recharged, she knew what she would have to accept. It had been mere hours since Adora had broken the news of Angella's sacrifice, yet Glimmer had already heard whispers in the halls of what would happen to Bright Moon next. What would happen to Glimmer, their orphan Princess? Because that's what she was now, wasn't it? Glimmer's father had fell in battle many years ago, when Glimmer was only around two and a half years old. Even though Glimmer had seen pictures and murals of she and both of her parents around Bright Moon (and sometimes even Mystacor), Glimmer had grown up accepting that it was just her and Angella. Despite their clashes and arguments, Glimmer loved Angella with as much love as she could give both parents. But now, what did she have? An empty throne, a bunch of letters, an empty bedroom that would never be inhabited by the same angel again.  
In Bright Moon, the only kingdom on Etheria to have a Queen or King, the rightful heir was supposed to ascend to the throne at aged 21. Glimmer was a whole four years too young to ascend, but yet, in her heart, in her head, she knew she would have to. Four years without a monarch ruling over Bright Moon would put the kingdom in complete chaos. The war would spiral out of control, despite hers and her friends efforts. With both the King and Queen gone, it was Glimmer's time to take the throne.  
As she opened the door to her room, she noticed that the clothes that had been strewn all over the room were gone. The Princess of Light shut her bedroom door behind her, and checked the bottom drawer of her window seat. Just as she'd suspected, her capes and leotards were folded neatly into the drawers. Bow had obviously been in here. The girl sighed, and picked up Kowl, an owl her father had crafted for her, and hugged it close.  


It is approaching midnight when Adora finally knocks on Glimmer's door again. She's worried that the princess may be asleep, but that is not the case.  
Glimmer considers staying silent until whoever is at the door is gone, but right now, she just really wants to be held in someone's arms. Whether it's Bow or Adora, or maybe even Aunt Castaspella, who she saw arrive earlier that evening.  
"Come in." Glimmer calls, realising for the first time how scratchy her voice is.  
Adora walks into the room, dressed in her simple grey tank top and shorts. It appeared that she too could not sleep.  
"Still up, huh?" Glimmer asks. Adora nods.  
"You can come up, if you want." Glimmer offers. "You can have this blanket to warm you up. I know how cold it can get." Glimmer speaks. Adora gives a small smile, thinking of how Glimmer sounds like Angella right now. The blonde climbs the stairs up to Glimmer's bed, and takes the aforementioned blanket from Glimmer. As she does, the tan princess pulls Adora's hand into her own. Her purple eyebrows gather together.  
"Your knuckles. They're scratched." Glimmer states. 'Scratched' is a bit of an understatement. In her rage, Adora had managed to tear the skin from her knuckles, and even break a few nails. But of course, she didn't care about that.  
"I-" Adora stammers.  
"Transformed into She-Ra and hit things with your sword?" Glimmer guesses. Adora nods, ashamed. There were better ways of dealing with her guilt and grief. Hitting things with the Sword of Protection was not it.  
"I attacked a flower garden." Glimmer admits. Adora raises a brow at the princess of light.  
"I know, Perfuma would not be pleased." Glimmer lightly joked. She felt that, by joking, perhaps she and Adora could avoid the subject of her mother altogether. But in her heart, she also knew that they would have to talk about it some time.  
"I'm not worried about Perfuma. I'm worried about you." Adora speaks.  
"Did she say anything about me? My mom?" Glimmer asks, almost desperately. She had to know.  
"She said you were brave. What she did, she...she did out of love. For you, for Etheria." Adora replies, before placing a small kiss on Glimmer's forehead, just as Angella had done to her before she had pulled the sword from the portal.  
"She also wanted me to pass that on." Adora says. Angella had not said anything about passing the gesture on, but Adora knew that, in Angella's heart, that was what she wanted.  
The blonde starts to gently thread her fingers through Glimmer's dual-toned hair as they settle into a comfortable silence. The princess makes no objections to the affectionate gesture.  
"This always calms me down after I have nightmares." Adora whispers. Glimmer smiles slightly.  
"My mom used to do this when I was little. I was terrified of the dark. Seems ironic since I can control light." Glimmer admits. Adora goes to remove her hands from her friend's hair, a feeling of dreaded guilt descending upon her. Glimmer, however, grabs Adora's hands lightly in hers.  
"Please, continue. It's soothing." Adora does as she is told. After all, Glimmer is her Queen now. The girls sit in a comforting silence, until Glimmer speaks up again.  
"Did she say anything else?"  
"She told me to...she said that we had to take care of each other." Adora responds.  
"And I will take care of you, Glimmer. I won't let either you or Angella down again." The blonde vows. The word 'again' strikes Glimmer, because it means that she knows Adora feels like she has failed. In the two years that she has known Adora, Glimmer has come to learn that the blonde's biggest fear goes beyond basics such as the dark, or insects etc. Adora's biggest fear is failing others, especially with the legacy of She-Ra resting on her shoulders.  
"Adora..." Glimmer murmurs, but she can't think of what to say. Instead, she decides to change topic.  
"My mom made me a tiara." Glimmer says, pulling a box from under her pillow. She gently takes the lid off the box, revealing a golden soft curled tiara with a tear-shaped polished crystal droplet.  
"Glim, it's beautiful." Adora speaks, as Glimmer twists the tiara in her hands. Her eyes focus solely on the droplet- it reminded her of the simple droplet that Angella had chosen to symbolise her queenly status.  
"It reminds me of her. She wants me to wear it as Queen." Glimmer admits.  
"You're going to make an amazing Queen, Glimmer." Adora reassures, wrapping an arm around her friend. Glimmer hugs her back, craving the feeling of comfort. She would never have the comfort of her mother's wings wrapped around her again, she would never feel that same protection, but she could have the comfort of Adora's embrace. Stars knew she would need it over the coming weeks and months.  
"I'm going to put this in a safe place." Glimmer whispers, teleporting off the bed. Adora falls backwards, not expecting the princess to teleport away. Glimmer gently places the box on her desk, next to a pile of letters. She picks up the top letter, which is unsealed, sighing. She would read the rest of the letters tomorrow. And again the day after tomorrow. Perhaps after she had finished them, she would reread them when she experienced something her mother had written about. She silently vowed the same thing Adora had: she would not let Angella down again.  
Glimmer teleports back up to bed, eyes drooping due to exhausting both her powers and herself. She looks to the side to see that Adora is already asleep, her chest rising and falling gently. It's understandable that she has fallen asleep already, all things considered. They've both had one hell of a day, Glimmer concludes. She pulls the duvet over herself, and puts the extra two blankets over Adora. The dual-tone haired girl settles her head on her pillow.  
Before she succumbs to the allure of sleep, Glimmer looks up at the ceiling, and the specs of light that decorate it. Glimmer reaches upwards as if to grasp the light.  
In a single day, she has lost so much. Last night's journey to the Fright Zone had come with so many bitter regrets. The last time that Glimmer saw her mother, she was being teleported to the Fright Zone with Shadow Weaver's help. The last time she _spoke_ to her mother, she had been so cruel. Her words rang in her head, loud as thunder:  
_'What's the point? You'll always be around, telling me what I can't do.'_  
Except, as fate would have it, Angella would not always be around. In fact, she would be gone so much sooner than anyone could have predicted. Glimmer held back another sob.  
_'We have to do something! You would see that if you weren't totally paralysed by fear!' The princess had yelled, backing her mother up against King Micah's mural._  
But in the end, Queen Angella had been the bravest one of all. Glimmer looked over to Adora, and down at her damaged knuckles. The rims of her eyes were red, hinting to Glimmer that Adora was also distraught. She had seen it in Adora's eyes, her grief, even her guilt. And that's how Glimmer knew that she wasn't alone. Adora had promised her that much, at least. As far as Glimmer had been able to gather, it was the last thing her mother had wanted, for her not to be alone in this. As a wise Queen once told her, this was the path destiny had assigned her.  
Under the midnight moon, she makes a silent vow, before allowing Adora's relaxed breathing to lull her to sleep:  
_'I promise, I'll be someone you'll be proud of, mom.''_


End file.
